Soap in bar form is perhaps the most common type of soap employed while bathing. The use of soap in this form has certain longstanding disadvantages. It is not possible for a bar of soap to be completely consumed because it eventually becomes so small as to become difficult to grasp. The majority of persons discard the bar of soap when it becomes so small.
Another characteristic of soap in bar form is its tendency to soften when kept in a soap tray or the like between periods of use. This softening reduces a bar of soap to a gelatinous consistency on its underside even when it is supported in a soap tray in such a way as to permit drainage of moisture and circulation of air therearound. Not only is such softening wasteful of soap, but it also renders the bar unpleasant in texture and feel.
Another problem with soap in bar form is that it is slippery when wet which makes the bar difficult to hold. In cases where the user s afflicted with arthritis or lacks hand/finger dexterity, it is difficult to grip a bar of soap even before it becomes slippery and virtually impossible to hold onto the bar after it gets wet. This is especially true as the bar of soap reduces in size after repeated uses. As a result, wet soap is often dropped. Sometimes the bar, when dropped, will break into pieces. When a person is handicapped in a way to make it difficult for him or her to retrieve the dropped bar of soap, the dropping becomes a serious problem instead of a mere annoyance.
One attempt to overcome the above described disadvantages has been to mold the bar of soap on a loop or length of rope, “soap on a rope.” The loop of rope could be placed on a handle of the shower or tub fixture to suspend the soap to dry. When the ball or bar of soap become too small for further use, the remaining soap and loop were discarded.
A more recent means for overcoming the foregoing disadvantages can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,939 which discloses a sack in which is carried a common sized bar of soap. The sack is formed of a mesh or knitted material such that moisture permeates therethrough to wet the bar of soap contained within the sack, and lather and the like may be transmitted from the inside of the sack to the outside to allow a user to lather himself/herself while bathing. The sack may be supported from a hook to encourage drying when not in use.
Another attempt to overcome the disadvantages of bar soap is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,725 which discloses a soap holder. The soap holder is a mesh type bag in which a bar of soap is carried. The bag carries a loop of synthetic material to suspend the bag containing the bar of soap when not in use.
My invention overcomes various of the aforementioned known drawbacks to bar soap by providing a soap grip that allows a bar of soap to be easily grasped, retained and manipulated, and also provides a means for hanging or otherwise suspending a bar of soap when not in use to promote drying. My soap grip is integrally formed with the bar of soap extending through a medial portion thereof, and my soap grip is tapered at a medial portion thereof so that even small bars of soap which have been repetitively used, remain useful while bathing to prevent waste.